Asphalt cutter wheel assembly



' Oct. 14, 1969 L. L. HOPKINS ASPHALT CUTTER WHEEL ASSEMBLY .2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 27, 196'? INVENTOR LEONARD L. HOPKINS,

ATTORNEYS.

Oct. 14, 1969 L. L. HOPKINS 3,472,554

ASPHALT CUTTER WHEEL ASSEMBLY Filed March 27. 1967 2 Sheets-Sheet z INVENTOR'.

LEONARD L. HOPKINS,

mwzilw ATTORNEYS.

United States Patent 3,472,554 ASPHALT CUTTER WHEEL ASSEMBLY Leonard L. Hopkins, Carlsbad, Calif., assignor to Over- Lowe Company, Inc., Denver, Colo., a corporation of Colorado Filed Mar. 27, 1967, Ser. No. 626,281 Int. Cl. E21c 47/00; Elllf 23/12; E02f 3/12 U.S. Cl. 299-40 3 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A cutter wheel assembly for cutting asphalt pavement and the like comprises a cutter wheel arranged to be mounted as a caster on the back of the blade of a road grader or the like. A clean cut line is produced under direct visual guidance of the grader operator.

This invention relates to pavement cutter wheel assemblies for mounting on a road grader or other heavy road machinery and particularly to an improved cutter wheel assembly for assuring a clean out line in the pavement.

Many arrangements of asphalt cutter wheel assemblies have been provided which are designed for detachable mounting on road graders and the like. These assemblies have included mountings for ready attachment to the moldboard of graders and for holding the cutter wheel rigidly in position for cutting pavement. The assemblies of the prior art have proved satisfactory for many applications but have not fully met the requirements of all applications. Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a pavement cutting wheel assembly including an improved arrangement for assuring the cutting of pavement and the like in a clean line.

It is another object of this invention to provide an improved pavement cutting assembly for road graders and the like which is capable of following accurately a predetermined line or course.

Briefly, in carrying out the objects of this invention in one embodiment thereof, an asphalt cutting wheel is mounted in an assembly which may be detachably mounted on the rear side of a road grader moldboard. The laterally extending guide rails of the moldboard are employed for receiving suitable clamping members on the assembly. The wheel is mounted in a bifurcated arm which is pivotally mounted in the assembly about an upright axis. The arm when mounted on the moldboard extends rearwardly and downwardly and when in pavement cutting position is capable of a caster-like action which enables the operator of the grader to guide the cutter wheel accurately along the desired line.

The features of novelty which characterize the invention are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this specification. The invention itself, however, both as to its organization and manner of operation, together with further objects and advantages thereof, will best be understood upon reference to the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a somewhat diagrammatic side elevation view of a road grading machine provided with a cutter wheel assembly embodying the invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of the cutting wheel assembly "of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the cutter wheel assembly;

FIG. 4 is a side elevation view of the assembly of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a rear elevation view of the assembly of FIG. 3; and

FIG. 6 is a front elevation view of the assembly.

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Referring now to the drawings, there is illustrated diagrammatically in FIG. 1 a road grader having a cab and engine unit 10 mounted on drive wheels 11 and provided with a main frame structure 12 extending forwardly to guide wheels 13. A moldboard 14 is adjustably suspended from the frame 12 on horizontal supporting structure 15 and a downwardly extending; supporting arm 16. The moldboard 14 is provided with upper and lower laterally extending rails or guide bars 17 and 18, respectively, whereby it is mounted in the supporting arm 16 in the usual manner so that it may be adjusted laterally of the grader to determine its lateral position. The moldboard may be rotated to change its angle with respect to the road by the usual mechanism, not illustrated in the drawing and not necessary to an understanding of the present invention.

A pavement cutter wheel assembly 20 is mounted on the moldboard and is illustrated in position with its cutter wheel indicated at 21 extending into the pavement in cutting position. The assembly 20 includes the wheel 21 supported on a bifurcated arm 22 attached to the moldboard on upper and lower brackets 23 and 24 which are rigidly secured to an upright plate 25 which forms the base of the wheel assembly. On the back of the plate there are mounted upper and lower clamping members 26 and 27, respectively, the member 26 being vertically adjustable and being clamped in position by a threaded clamping bolt 28.

The details of construction of the cutter wheel assembly 20 are illustrated in FIGS. 2 through 6. As shown in these figures the cutter wheel 21 is mounted on a fixed axle or shaft 30, the outer ends of which are threaded, the shaft being secured to the respective sides of the bifurcated arm 22 by nuts 31. The axle and wheel assembly may be removed from the arms 22 by loosening the nuts 31 and lowering the wheel from the arms, vertical slots 29 being provided in the arms for locating the shaft 30 and for affording its direct removal from the assembly.

The wheel 21 is mounted on the axle 30 on a hub comprising two halves 32 having respective mounting plates 33 which are bolted to the wheel by a plurality of bolts 34 extending through the wheel. The wheel 21 is freely rotatable on the shaft 30 in suitable bearings, not illustrated. The upper bracket 23 comprises a horizontal plate 35 and reinforcing gusset plates 36 all securely welded together and to the supporting plate 25 of the assembly. Similarly, the lower bracket 24 comprises a horizontal plate 37 and reinforcing gussets 38 Welded thereto and to the plate 25.

The bifurcated arm 22 is pivotally mounted on the brackets 23 and 24 on a headed pin 40 extending through the brackets with the head engaging the top of the plate 35. The arm is provided with a hub 41 which is journaled on the pin 40 and which, together with the bracket plates 35 and 37, holds the bifurcated arm 22 so that it can move only by swinging about the pivot pin 40. It will thus be apparent that the rearwardly' and downwardly extending bifurcated arm 22 enables the wheel 21 to move with a caster action.

The lower clamping member 27 is of rigid channel angle cross section and the upper clamping member 26 is illustrated as a fabricated angle bar rigidly mounted on guide bars 42 which are vertically adjustable on the plate 25. Each guide bar extends through a respective slot 43 in the plate 25 and is securely clamped to the plate by a bolt 44 which is rigidly secured to the plate 25 and extends through a slot 45 in the bracket 42. Thus the bracket 42 may slide up and down and be clamped by the bolt 44 in its selected position.

When the wheel assembly is to be mounted on a moldboard the clamping bolt 28 is backed ofr sufiiciently to allow the clamping members 26 and 27 to be positioned in alinement with the guides 17 and 18 and the clamp member 27 is positioned over the guide 18 and then the bolt 28 tightened downwardly until the clamp 26 is tightened against the top guide 17 and the plate securely attached to the moldboard. The bolts 44 are then tightened and the wheel assembly is ready for use.

During the use of the wheel assembly for cutting pavement as illustrated in FIG. 1, the operator of the grader may look down directly onto the wheel 21 and observe its position on the line to be cut. He then guides the grader along the desired line, keeping the wheel 21 on the line. The wheel 21 is free to move to adjust its position laterally due to the caster mounting of the as sembly and as a result the wheel is maintained in the direction of the line at all times and is not dragged laterally through the pavement in a manner such as to produce a rough cut. The freedom of movement of the wheel in its caster-like mounting makes it possible to operate the grader and cut a continuous and clean line without adjustment of the wheel assembly or backward movement of the grader to readjust the position of the wheel in the pavement.

The cutter wheel assembly of this invention has been found in operation to provide effective cutting of pavement along a predetermined accurate line with a smooth or clean action and with a substantial saving in operating time.

While the invention has been described in connection with a single specific embodiment thereof, other arrangements and applications will occur to those skilled in the art. Therefore it is not desired that the invention be limited to the specific details illustrated and described and it is intended by the appended claims to cover all modifications which fall within the spirit and scope of the invention.

I claim:

1. The combination of a road grader or similar road machinery and an asphalt cutter wheel assembly, said road grader including a grader blade or similar surface working implement and means for urging said grader blade into a surface to be cut, said cutter wheel assembly comprising a mounting member for securing said assembly to said grader blade, 21 wheel mounting arm, pivot means for securing said arm on said mounting member for free swinging movement about an upright axis, a cutter wheel mounted for rotation on said arm at a position remote from said axis for engagement with and penetration of the asphalt surface on which the grader is supported, said wheel being urged into the surface to be out while being advanced by said grader whereby it may swing on said arm about said pivot means as a caster and may be guided effectively by guiding the grader along a predetermined arcuate line to be cut.

2. The combination of a road grader or similar road machinery and an asphalt cutter wheel assembly as set forth in claim 1 wherein said securing means comprises upper and lower clamping members for engaging the upper and lower guide bars on the rear side of the grader moldboard, and means for clamping said clamping members rigidly on the guide bars of the moldboard whereby the action of the cutter wheel may be observed directly by the operator of the grader during its use to cut pavement.

3. The combination of a road grader or similar road machinery and an asphalt cutter wheel assembly as set forth in claim 1 wherein said arm is bifurcated and comprises two side arm members extending outwardly of said pivot means and downwardly and wherein said wheel is rotatably mounted between said two side members.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,083,954 4/1963 Brolin 29940 3,140,898 7/1964 Rogers 299-4O X 3,271,079 9/1966 Simmons 299-40 305,853 9/1884 Shaw l72-602 407,568 7/1899 Belding 172-602 ERNEST R. PURSER, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 172602, 777 

